Jigsaw

[KillerTofu]

I have been doing a lot of case mods using a dremel. I want to have a jigsaw for making huge rectangle windows. I am wondering how much should I be spending on getting a jigsaw. I see them range for about 30- 300 dollars and I dont know which ones are decent. Also how much are the blades. Thanks .

 

[DustMite]

I use a cheap $30-something jigsaw I got from HomeDepot. The expensive ones , I believe are more for professional use. As in using it everyday on the job...day in and day out. For the occasional modding project, I think the cheapies would be fine. Mine even came with an assortment of blades to get things started. I'm still using them... heh

...my $0.02...

 

[domoMKIV]

if you have an XPR theres a jigsaw type attachment you can buy.

 

[KillerTofu]

nah i dont have an xpr =( . Anyone know a good brand for a jigsaw? Also thanks dustmite for the comment on the cheapie ones

 

[Legion©]

You should be ok with a cheap one if you are only going to be using it for case mods.
Use a blade with plenty of fine teeth if you are cutting steel or aluminium. Don't make the mistake of forcing it forwards either, it should move easily with very little pressure.
Also a good idea is to put some masking tape on the bottom of the guides to avoid scratches (regardless of how expensive your jigsaw is).

As far as brands go, I can't really help you there as I'm in New Zealand and all the cheap stuff will be different from yours.

Have fun, and good luck!

 

[Grimdj]

$30, hell, I bought the $15 Wal-Mart jobbie. Made 4 large speaker boxes, and some other asorted stuff, no probs. The wear and tear is mainly in the blade. Good luck!

 

[macrospect]

I own a Dewalt one, works great, and its varible speed and you can adjust the angle of the cut your making. Great for plexiglass, when you want an angled cut and dont want to melt the plexi.

I consider them to be a trusted manufacturer of powertools.

 

[bonzanego]

Bosch makes the the best jigsaw I have ever used for about 150$. the action on it is smooth as silk compared to the 30$ saws. Unless you want to make really complex curves with it I would say a 30$ saw, a steady hand and a straight edge with some clamps will more than cut what you want. I have one that was 35$ from black and decker that works wonderfully.

 

[Kckazdude]

I've had one of those cheap Black & Decker jigsaws for around 10 years now. Still works for what I need it for.

 

[Timmee]

I just picked up a Craftsman 5 amp variable speed/orbital scrolling sabre saw (jig saw). I got it for $60 + tax. Haven't had a chance to use it yet though, as the weather in the northeast corner of the US has been really crappy.

 

[JEEVES/whohasmyname?]

if you have an XPR theres a jigsaw type attachment you can buy.

Just bought one of those attachments. Seems to work well but you dont get that control you can with a trued jigsaw. I will use it for small cuts and for when i need a jig saw in a pinch. Bad thing is it cost 30bucks and you can pick up a real jigsaw for about that (except with the dremel you get variable speeds).

I've had one of those cheap Black & Decker jigsaws for around 10 years now. Still works for what I need it for.

Yup me too, only problem I have with it is the blade will sometimes fall out. but I think that was from too many cuts as a kid on material that wasnt ment for a jigsaw blade.

JEEVES

 

[KillerTofu]

Thanks for the help everyone. I'm going to look into getting one of the cheaper ones.

 

[HaMMerHeD]

I have a Black&Decker jigsaw (model JS500K) with a clear plastic blade guide and a sawdust vacuum attachment 1thing that blows the sawdust back behind the user, so it doesnt get in the way. I think it cost all of $35 at Super-Target.

works great for me..